Mike Sullivan’s demands for what he wanted the Penguins to do to open Thursday’s home game against the Boston Bruins weren’t overly complicated.
“Just powering and simplifying the game,” said the team’s coach after Thursday morning’s skating session at PPG Paints Arena. “I think it’s important that we try to get momentum from the fall of the puck. We have to bring a lot of energy with us. We have to keep the game simple and play a straight game.”
Thursday’s contest was fairly free of detours for the Penguins, who took a very direct route to an efficient 4-0 win.
The Bruins encountered a determined hurdle in the form of Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith, who made a career-high 52 saves and made his third shutout of the season while improving his record to 9-5-5.
The 52 saves set a new franchise record for a shutout win.
DeSmith’s ninth career shutout came in his second game as the team’s de facto top goalie in place of All-Star starter Tristan Jarry, who is sidelined indefinitely with a right foot injury.
“Casey was incredible tonight,” said Penguins forward Jason Zucker. “He obviously made every save. He was calm. It’s easy to play in front of him when he plays like that. He’s made a lot of great games.
“He was definitely our All-Star tonight, that’s for sure.”
The win was tempered by the loss of forward Jeff Carter, who left the game at 1:54 p.m. of the third period due to an undisclosed injury. Sullivan did not provide an update on his status after the game.
All-Star forward Jake Guentzel opened the scoring with 7:49 in regulation. After a wrist shot by Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel from the center of the offensive zone was rejected by goaltender Jeremy Swayman, Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton made a weak clearance attempt that was intercepted by Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson near home bench.
When the Bruins made an ill-timed line change, Matheson fed a cross-ice pass to Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, who scooped it forward to Sidney Crosby on the offensive blue line. Almost seamlessly, Crosby centered the puck to an oncoming Guentzel, who charged past Bruins forward Charlie Coyle into the slot and fired a forehand shot through Swayman’s five holes for his 38th goal of the season. Crosby and Rakell registered assists.
At a score of 6:10 in the second period, Zucker made it 2:0 with his eighth goal. After Zucker won a puck fight on the rink near the away box, defender Marcus Pettersson settled them inside the Penguins’ zone and fed a cross-ice pass to defending partner John Marino near the Bruins’ bench.
Marino read the ice like an instruction manual and snapped up Carter for a centering pass that deftly redirected the puck down the left wing and allowed Zucker to attack with momentum. Zucker fended off a diving poke check attempt from 6-foot-6 Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo and raised a wrister over Swayman’s glove-hand for his eighth goal. Carter and Marino had assists.
“It was a great game from the other guys,” said Zucker. “(Carter) got me an incredible chip pass there and gave me some room to get in.”
Guentzel put another one into the Bruins’ net at 16:12 of the middle picture. After Carlo fumbled the puck in his own slot during a clearance attempt by shooting it in the legs of defensive partner Matt Grzelcyk. The puck rebounded to the left circle where Penguins defenseman Kris Letang vigilantly locked it in and then shoved a cross-ice pass to Guentzel in the right circle. As Swayman slid to his left, Guentzel raised a wrist over the goalkeeper’s glove on the near side. Letang logged the lone assist.
An empty net goal at 17:55 in the third period allowed Guentzel to complete a hat-trick and reach the 40-goal mark for the second time in his career. There were no assists.
“That’s a cool number,” said Guentzel, whose career high of 40 was reached in the 2018-19 season. “You put a lot of time and effort into this game. Scoring goals only in this league is something very special. I’m lucky enough to play alongside some pretty good players and just have a good crew of coaches, teammates and staff. Just a cool milestone.”
DeSmith looked pretty cool in the third period despite being bombarded with 22 shots.
However, the sheer volume of volleys the Bruins hurled at DeSmith was somewhat intentional. For the visitors and the hosts.
“They throw a lot of pucks from everywhere,” Zucker explained. “They are a team looking for the second chance rebounds. They throw them off the boards. They just throw pucks in the net everywhere. And they cause a lot of chaos there. It was a great job by Casey directing rebounds out of the scoring areas. Our defense cleared the net front very well. As forwards, we were trying to come back and (tie up the Bruins attackers’ sticks) and work our way into the shooting lanes.”
“You’d rather give up a shot from the point than from the hashmarks. You will give Casey a much better opportunity to make that save.”
All 52
“Obviously, a 52 save shutout always builds a little bit of confidence,” DeSmith said. “But coming into this game I felt prepared. I’ve been working towards this moment for a long time, to step in there if (Jarry) anything happens.
“I’m just happy to help the team to some wins.”
Remarks:
• DeSmith set a franchise record for saves in a shutout. The previous mark was held by Jean-Sebastien Aubin, who made 45 saves in a 4-0 home win over the Dallas Stars at Mellon Arena on March 9, 2004.
• DeSmith made the fourth most saves from a shutout in NHL history:
• The Penguins’ 52 shots allowed was a season high. Their previous high of 45 came in a 6-2 away loss to the Los Angeles Kings, which was then matched by a 4-2 away win over the Bruins on February 8 and a 6-3 home loss to the Washington Capitals on February 9. April.
• DeSmith’s career-high save was a 48 save in the 5-3 home win over the Bruins on December 14, 2018.
• Guentzel’s hat-trick was the Penguins’ first against the Bruins in 24 years (almost to the day). Forward Martin Straka scored three times in a 5-2 win at the Civic Arena on April 18, 1998.
• Guentzel scored his fifth career hat-trick and his second of the season. He previously scored three goals in the 4-1 away win over the Vancouver Canucks on December 4.
• The Penguins lead the NHL with 22 clean goals this season. The NHL record of 24 was set by the 2015-16 Stars.
• Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin served the final game of a four-game ban in the face on April 10, which he was handed by the NHL for cross-checking Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki.
• In addition to Malkin, the Penguins scratched at defensemen Mark Friedman (healthy) and Jarry (right foot).
• The Penguins wore white jerseys at home to accommodate the Bruins, who wore black. Amid a two-game road trip, the Bruins were asked by the NHL to wear black in a street contest on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues, who wore white throwback jerseys primarily for marketing purposes.
Seth Rorabaugh is a contributor to the Tribune Review. You can contact Seth via email at [email protected] or via Twitter .